Yay for summer!  Sun, surf and the chance to unstick yourself from the couch.  Everywhere we see people venturing out and getting active. Join the summer revolution and make this the summer you become active also. 

 For many, exercise conjures up images they don’t particularly like nor want to participate in.  But exercise doesn’t have to be pounding the pavements looking exhausted and sweaty.  It also doesn’t have to be going to a hot and smelly gym.  Use summer and our fabulous country side to get out and get active.

 The biggest trick to getting active is finding a form of exercise you enjoy, that way you are more likely to stick at it.  It becomes something you want to get out and do.  Also having a little bit of fear associated with a goal helps you commit to it.  Something that challenges you a bit, or is slightly out of your comfort zone.  Something that just gives you a gentle case of the butterflies as you plan the event. 

 Check out the countryside by joining one of the many tramping or walking clubs around.  Tramping is a great way to meet new and interesting people while getting fit.  Take that first step by getting in contact – this is the scariest bit, then get out and get going.  Set goals of various walks or tramps you would like to do.  Plan a tramp with a group of friends.

 Learn to surf, kiteboard, jetski, wakeboard or waterski.  These are excellent forms of exercise, not something you would typically think of as a means to get fit, but a truly brilliant work out.  These provide a cardio workout while strengthening the arms, legs, upper body and core.  And it’s a bit of an adrenaline buzz at the same time.

 Dust off the bike in the garage. Road cycling is a fabulous way to get fit without placing our joints under any stress.  Road cycling has the added bonus of course of including a coffee stop.  Looking for a bit more of a thrill, go mountain biking!

 Use the resources you have available to you.  Step out to our beautiful beaches.  For a full on work out try going for a run through the waves.  This is an excellent cardio workout while providing leg strength.  What’s more it is fun, keeps you cool in the heat and there is a swim waiting for you at the end.  This is easier and more fun than going for a run down the road.

 Even just a simple stroll or power walk along the beach is a fabulous option.    Take the neighbour’s dog, they will become your best friend forever. The sand provides resistance increasing your fitness faster, plus exercising in beautiful places is always easier.  What about taking a spade and digging the biggest sandcastle ever with the kids – cardio, core and upper body strength.  Get creative, have fun and get active.  It is what summer is all about.

1.  Take time to consider your goals

Avoid making the big bold statements while sitting around a bonfire with a beer in your hand.  Most of us have done this as some stage – and probably not achieved these goals. 

 Set aside some time where you have a bit of quiet you time.  Get yourself a nice journal, phone or computer where you can record your thoughts.  You are going to be referring back to this throughout the year.

 Some people find visual boards useful – this is a board or journal where you stick pictures of things you wish to achieve, the big house by the beach, the new car, fabulous clothes, a new sporting toy.  Don’t be shy with this, make the dreams big, if you aim high – you land high.

 2.  Choose goals that are real to you

Select goals that you have been mulling over for a while.  Goals that you have been thinking about are more likely to have some meaning and resonate with you.  These are the ones that you are likely to achieve.  Choose goals that are important to you, not someone else.

 3.  Start big then chunk it down 

Start with big goals and then break them down.  Do be realistic in the goals you set.  For example a weight loss goal of 20 kg in 20 weeks is most likely going to leave you disappointed when in week 2 you haven’t lost the next kilo.  Instead set yourself a realistic target of 20kg over the next year. 

 Goals should be broken down into short term (1-3 months), medium term (1 yearish), and long term (1 year to lifelong goals).  Again set achievable goals for each term.

 Then chunk it down.  How are you actually going to achieve this goal?  Break it down to smaller steps, this makes it achievable and puts a plan in place.  So it maybe that you will start increasing your water intake to 6-8 glasses a day, eat your 5+ fruit and veges each day, join a dance group, enter a 10km run.  Make each step measurable, i.e. rather than saying “I will eat healthily”, break it down further to “I will trim the fat off my meat”, or ‘I will not add salt once the food is on my plate”.  Tackle each step one at a time.  Become completely comfortable with the first 1-2 steps before moving onto the next.   

 Realise that the heady glow of the holidays will be over soon that that these goals need to work with your everyday lifestyle.  Work and commitments to friends and family need to be factored in.

 4.  Start the process today

Make the first step.  Praise yourself with each step.  Recognise that there will be the odd set back, be kind to yourself if there is a wee slip up, we are human.  A set back is not a reason to give up, it is simply that, a little set back, now carry on.  Keep praising yourself about moving forward.

 5.  Monitor your achievements 

Keep referring to your goals and achievements.  This is not a once a year event.  Carefully cross each goal off as you have achieved it – this is quite a feeling of accomplishment as you do this.  Take time to bask in the glow of success.  Give yourself a reward with each success.  Each step is one step closer to your big goal.

 Make 2010 – the year of achieving your goals.

We have listened and we have slapped on large quantities of sunscreen to protect ourselves from our hot New Zealand sun.  But the information has again become cloudy and less defined.  Now we are being told that we should actually be getting some sun on our skin – to prevent the risk of becoming Vitamin D deficient.  We have listened so well that studies done in New Zealand have suggested up to 48% of us may have deficiencies.  So what is the message about sun protection now?  Do we tan or do we not tan? 

What is vitamin D?

Vitamin D is a hormone that is required for everyday health assisting in calcium and phosphate absorption.  It has a role in healthy bones (preventing rickets and osteoporosis), joint, muscles and nerve function.  There is evidence to suggest it may reduce the risk of cancers (including melanoma, ironic perhaps), heart disease and benefit our immune system.  Those of us who struggle through winter will know that Vitamin D is important in preventing seasonal depression and sleep disorders.

 Vitamin D is produced by the ultraviolet light (UVB) and our cholesterol in our skin.  It is also found in small qualities in food sources such as oily fish, eggs and meat.  Fortified foods are becoming more common.

 In winter we become more at risk of Vitamin D deficiency, particularly those in the South, older people, those with darker skin and those not willing to go outside.  We are able to store Vitamin D for 30-60 days to help us get through winter.  However, we must have sufficient stores at the end of summer to help us with this.

 How much we need is debated.  It is suggested that we could require between 50 nmol/L to 80 nmol/L.  Also just how much exposure we need to the sun is not clear, nor well studied.  The experts at this stage are unable to provide definitive guidelines, putting it down to the variation in our skin colours, seasonal UV rating and even our location in the country.  They are suggesting that more research is required.

 Current recommendations

• Avoid sunburn
• It is preferable to expose larger areas of skin for shorter periods of time.  Do this without sunscreen on either side of the peak burn time, i.e. mornings and late afternoons.  Do not burn; therefore the exposure time should only be a few minutes.
• We may need to consider using supplements or fortified foods.  Look for foods listing Vitamin D on the packaging.  Dairy foods are often fortified due to their calcium content.  Particularly those at risk should be considering food sources of Vitamin D.  These are the people with darker skinned, those that cover their skin with clothing for religious or ethnic reasons, elderly, house bound people, the obese and during winter. 

So the message is lacking in precise detail.  Vitamin D will be an area of hot debate for some time, until some true clear guidelines can be achieved.  But still remember the most important thing is to avoid sunburn.

Getting rid of toxins and impurities.

Our own body is the perfect tool for removing unwanted toxins. Our liver removes drugs and alcohol, kidneys excrete waste as urine, our intestines breakdown and excrete waste, lungs filter and remove particles and gas waste, our immune system is designed to destroy toxins and pathogens, and our skin perspires, excreting toxins. We are quite simply, brilliant at removing waste and unwanted toxins. If you think for some reason that your body is not performing these tasks correctly then see your doctor, avoid self diagnosis and treatment with a box bought over the counter. There is no scientific evidence to support that detox diets work.

Weight loss

The detox diets promote weight loss. And yes this does happen. It occurs due to extreme limitation in calorie intake. Some detox diets prevent you from eating solid foods; others severely limit the types of foods you can consume. All limit the calories you take in. When you do not supply your body with sufficient calories and carbohydrates, the body gets the required energy by breaking down the protein stores in our muscles. This energy form is stored with water, so the rapid weight loss occurs due to break down of precious protein and fluid loss. It is not targeting the fat stores that we are wishing to lose.

This rapid weight loss also has the negative effect of teaching our body that there could be future starvation periods. It slows the metabolism, creates rebound weight gain and makes any future weight loss attempts significantly harder. Further the huge fluid loss upsets our fluid and electrolyte balance leading to headaches, dehydration, gastro upsets, exhaustion, bad breath, fatigue and irritability – enter stage left, the personality from hell!

Limiting the nutrients

By carefully following the instructions on the box you are severely limiting the nutrients that you are eating, you are starving your body of essential nutrients.

So is there any good in a detox diet?

Rather than buying the detox in a box – create your own. A detox is a good way to get you thinking about healthy eating. But make it the start of a new healthy eating regime, and one that you can maintain rather than just a quick 1-2 week process. Use it as a way to start introducing eating more fruits and veges (getting that 5+ a day), reducing your alcohol intake, eating more whole grains and unprocessed foods, cutting down on salts and added sugars and drinking more water. These are all the things you know, simple but effective. Unfortunately there is no magic bullet in weight loss and flushing toxins, so put the box down and start with making a few healthy choices instead.

As we rush out the door to the gym or our spin class clutching our sports drink – have we stopped and given our teeth a thought? Probably not. Our teeth are taking a hammering in our attempts to become healthy and fit. Do we really need those sports drinks?

Every time we snack or sip on our sports drink we are feeding not only ourselves but the bacteria in our mouth. These bacteria produce acid which lowers the pH in our mouth and saliva. The drinks frequently also contain acid for flavouring adding to the acid problem. As our mouth becomes more acidic the mineral of our teeth begins to dissolve. Keep doing this and we begin to see small demineralised white patches develop on our teeth. Carry on and the white patches become holes and we need the trot off to the dentist for a fix up.

So how is it then that we don’t constantly get holes in our teeth with eating? Our body has a built in rescue measure – saliva. Saliva returns the lost minerals to our teeth following an acid attack. Antibacterial factors contained in the saliva help keep the plaque levels under control, but only to a certain level. Saliva also neutralizes the acid after eating; however this takes time, around about 2 hours to return to a level where further damage doesn’t occur.

Back to the gym class and we are sipping away on our sports drink, finish the class and carry on home with our bottle continually sipping to prevent dehydration. Nice idea on the dehydration front, but horrible on the teeth front. Our teeth have now been exposed to large amounts of acid without giving our mouth a chance to recover. This becomes more of an issue in athletes who are also eating regularly for energy while training. So not only are we adding acid and sugar, but our saliva levels are also compromised due to being dehydrated, so double whammy for the teeth.

Do we need sports drinks?
If you are training for less than 1- 1.5 hours, then no, you don’t need a sports drink. So swap the sports drink for just water and you will be doing yourself a huge favor. You also do not need a sports drink (or any flavoured drink) to just wander around with during the day sipping on. This is resulting in a huge increase in tooth decay levels. If you feel you must have flavoured water then sit down, drink it and then move on. Don’t wander around sipping – you are constantly exposing yourself to increased acid levels.

If you are training for more than 1-1.5 hours in a session, then yes, you should consider a sports drink. But how then do we protect our teeth now knowing the dangers of constant exposure to acid.
1. Always brush and floss your teeth before exercising – this will remove the amount of plaque and bacteria present as a starting point.
2. Drink and eat as instructed during the training session.
3. Finish with a drink of plain water to rehydrate quickly and begin neutralising the acid level. Also think about a sugar free chewing gum to stimulate saliva flow.
4. If you need to eat after training consider having a dairy product, in particular some cheese to help prevent tooth decay.
5. Avoid brushing your teeth immediately after exercising, the enamel is softer after the acid attack and brushing can remove small amounts of this softened enamel. Leave it for at least half an hour before brushing.
6. Ensure you are brushing and flossing regularly – at least twice a day.
7. Have regular dental check ups and hygiene appointments.
8. Consider some products such as a Savacol mouthwash (no more than once weekly), a fluoride mouthwash and a calcium product such as Tooth Moose (available from dentists) to keep bacteria levels under control and add mineral to your teeth.

Sports drinks are not necessary in our daily life – we survived without them previously. Get back to good old water for a healthy, happy smile.